Spike Fuck
Spike Fuck (sometimes stylised as SPIKE FCUK & SPIKE F*CK) is an artist and musician from Melbourne, Australia.[1]
Overview
Spike Fuck grew up in Melbourne, Australia. She used heroin and other drugs for several years and was subsequently dependent on methadone for more than three years.[2] She began performing under the Spike Fuck moniker in 2015.[1]
Her work draws on her experiences as a recovering heroin addict, as well as her struggle in reconciling her transgender identity[1] with her faith as a Catholic.[2] She describes her music as "smackwave", drawing on the slang term for heroin and referring to a style influenced by new wave and post-punk, as well as country music.[3][1] She has cited Roky Erickson and Scott Walker as influences.[4]
In 2019 she signed to Partisan Records.[5] As of 2019, she was preparing to move to London and had begun work on her debut full-length album; tentatively titled BellaDonna DeathTrip[3]
Work
Spike Fuck's debut EP, The Smackwave EP, was released in 2016.[3] The EP was re-released in 2019.[3] She has described it as an impersonation of a washed-up middle aged rock star attempting a comeback in the 1960s or 1970s.[2]
In 2019 she released the single "Body by Crystal", which draws on experiences of a mental breakdown, and which she described as being characterised by an "over-produced pop-punk sound, like End of the Century-era Ramones".[3] In the music video she visits the Abbey of Thelema, the "anti-monastery" founded by Aleister Crowley and Leah Hirsig in Sicily in 1920.[3][5]
In mid-2017, Spike unexpectedly took a hard turn towards a country sound, with the LSD-soaked "Suicide Party (Greatest Hits)".[6] The track featured Graham "Evil" Lee; the pedal-steel guitar player from the 1980s Australian band, The Triffids.[7] In August 2020, following on from this foray into country music, Spike released the track "Kind Hearts"; a duet with local Melbourne band, The Slingers.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d Allwood, Emma Hope (16 November 2016). "Meet Spike Fuck, Rick Owens' new favourite musician". Dazed. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ a b c Beech, Issy (24 October 2016). "Meet Spike Fuck: Cult Heroine". Vice. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Bayly, Zac (9 July 2019). "Spike Fuck: Burnt out on love". The Face. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ Wallace, Megan (19 November 2019). "Spike Fuck – Beyond the clickbait, the hard drugs and the karaoke". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ a b Olinger, Mike (9 July 2019). "Spike Fuck explores addiction and infatuation with unflinching honesty on 'Body By Crystal'". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ Staff, Noisey. "Spike Fuck's Video Explores The Trappings of Fame and Drug Induced Psychosis". Noisey. Vice Magazine. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ Writer, Staff. "Spike Fuck Shares Self-Directed Video For New Song 'Greatest Hits (Suicide Party 1971)'". Under the Radar. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ D'Souza, Shaad. "Sound Off: 10 New Songs You Need to Hear Now". Paper Magazine. Retrieved 9 September 2020.